Brazilian carnival 2027 dates, outfits and NL parties

What Brazilian carnival is

Carnival (carnaval in Portuguese) is Brazil's big celebration before Lent. It moves every year: the Tuesday of carnival falls 47 days before Easter, which in 2027 is 9 February.

In Rio de Janeiro it has three parts: the parade of the samba schools (escolas de samba) in the Sambódromo, the balls in clubs and hotels, and the street carnival, where bands called blocos go out through the city. In Brazil a bloco is a group of revellers who sing and dance their way along the street. Each school performs a samba-enredo, a samba the school's members write around the school's own theme (the enredo) for that year.

This guide is about Brazilian carnival. Dutch Carnaval in the south and the Caribbean carnivals are separate traditions and are not covered here.

Dates for 2027

Carnival 2027 runs from Saturday 6 to Tuesday 9 February, with Ash Wednesday on 10 February. Carnival Monday and Tuesday are 8 and 9 February. In many cities the celebrations open on Friday 5 February.

In Rio the Special Group of 12 samba schools parades over three nights, four schools a night: Sunday 7, Monday 8 and Tuesday 9 February. The six best-placed schools parade again on Saturday 13 February, the Champions' Parade. That Saturday is also the date of the Amsterdam night below.

Rio: the parade and the streets

The parade is organised by the league of the samba schools, Liesa. For 2027 its special grandstand seats and numbered chairs cost a fixed R$250 per night (R$125 half-price for those entitled to it), sold through the Brazilian Ticketmaster with a limit per buyer.

The street carnival runs beside it, with hundreds of blocos out in the weeks around carnival.

In the Netherlands: what happened in 2026, and 2027

Amsterdam: the Baile da Bossa, a Brazilian carnival night, has been held in Berlin since 2020 and in Amsterdam since 2024: at Pllek in 2024, at Paradiso in 2025 and at Melkweg on Friday 13 February 2026. For 2027 it is back at Melkweg on Saturday 13 February, with samba, frevo, axé and brega. Tickets are not on sale yet.

Rotterdam: the Baile de Carnaval Giramundo, run by Grounds with the capoeira school Berimbau de Ouro, was held on Saturday 10 February 2024 (sold out) and on Saturday 14 February 2026 at Lab Grounds, from 17:00 with doors at 16:30. In 2026 tickets were €15 in advance and €10 for children up to 15. Grounds has not announced a 2027 date yet.

Families: the Wereldmuseum in Amsterdam, Rotterdam and Leiden runs a Sunday workshop on Brazilian and Caribbean carnival on 10, 17, 24 and 31 January 2027, 12:00 to 16:00.

What to wear

A fantasia is the Portuguese word for a carnival costume. At the parade in Rio each school picks its own theme and a carnavalesco, a bit like a theatre director and set designer in one, sketches the costumes that tell it. Members of the school wear them in sections called alas.

In Bahia some blocos have an abadá, a shirt that marks who belongs to the bloco.

At a party in the Netherlands the dress is yours. The Amsterdam organiser asks you to bring your sequins, feathers and carnival energy, and the Rotterdam organiser invited every kind of carnival costume, from fine to cute to crazy. Sequins and feathers fit, and so does anything you can dance in. You do not need to play a character.

How to join

For Amsterdam on 13 February, wait for the ticket sale on the Bossa FM listing. Nothing about prices is announced yet.

For Rotterdam, check Grounds in January. For Rio, the official ticket route is the league's page.